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and the
I first heard of the Montana Rail Link in 1989, when I returned to railroading after several years' hiatus. I picked up a number of magazines at the local hobby shop, and the cover story of CTC Board was about the MRL. The combination of older diesels, an attractive paint scheme, and a setting in one of my favorite states had me hooked from the very beginning. It didn't hurt that I saw some of their locomotives occasionally, in lease service to the BN.
At the time, my modelling was centered around building locomotives and rolling stock, and then running these trains at a local club (the Hennepin Overland). A good sized fleet of HO scale equipment was amassed, and I was a regular participant at running sessions at the club.
Working on the Hennepin Overland had left me wanting more out of modelling. Their layout was not suitable for much besides running a train 'round and 'round in circles. The fact that they were long circles was nice, and I liked the contact with the public (the layout was adjacent to one of the larger hobby stores in the Twin Cities). But 'round and 'round gets old, and I didn't foresee significant changes being made in their layout's operability.
Joining the Layout Design SIG and getting onto their mailing list was a major turning point. Here were people interested in doing more than running in circles, and actively discussing how to build a layout that met the needs of the owner. Much was learned (think of forks, young grasshopper), and doubt set in about what I was trying to do.
In the fall of 1996, two layout visits led me to rethink much of what I had been planning. The first was a trip to Bill and Wayne Reid's Cumberland Valley, by far the most realistic looking N scale layout I've ever seen, and probably the best running equipment that I've seen in any scale. The second was a visit to Jack Burgess and his Yosemite Valley. His style of modelling, based on extremely faithful prototype recreation, made a big impression on me.
During this same time, my wife and I bought a house, and I obtained free & clear space to work on my railroad. This has led me to the brink of great opportunity, and my design efforts were intensified. I'm no longer trying to design the railroad of my dreams, I'm also trying to build the railroad of tomorrow (as opposed to next year). I'm harboring no illusions that I'll be in the same house in 4 years, although I hear the foghorns when I start thinking that I have the time to work on a layout these days (a small child, new to the family, is the main cause of this tinnitis).
So what do I do? That's a darned good question. I decided I'd write down some of my notes regarding my layout designs, so that I can share them with others who might be willing to offer advice and suggestions. It also helps me to keep ideas around for the future, and to focus on what I'm doing today.
First off, I needed to rewrite history. Some of the details of how the MRL came to be don't suit me very well. But I can't in good conscience just do whatever I feel like. To that end, I offer my own version of history.
This layout is being brought to you with the assistance of As It Happens, a radio show broadcast locally every weekday evening at 10:00. The kid is asleep, the wife is sewing, and I can disappear into the basement and work on the layout.
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last modified 26 September 1997, by david d zuhn |  |